Meghan’s dad: before she ever
MEGHAN MARKLE’S father has spoken of his fear that his daughter will never talk to him again in an extraordinary outburst which has fuelled concern over the embarrassment he will bring to the Royal Family.
Speaking in his first ever newspaper interview, Thomas Markle also launched a bizarre attack on the Palace and even criticised the Queen.
He also revealed that the telephone number on which he had been calling Meghan no longer picks up — and claimed that she is ‘terrified’ of her new role as the wife of Prince Harry.
Speaking of his fears that he may die soon, the 73-year-old begged his daughter, now Duchess of Sussex, to contact him.
He said: ‘I had a heart attack, doesn’t anybody care? I could actually die soon. Does she want this to be the last thing we’ve said to each other?
‘It is probably the longest I have gone without speaking to her ever. I just want to clear the air and tell her how proud of her I am.’
In explosive comments, Mr Markle, who said he was unable to attend to his daughter’s wedding in May because of his heart condition, lashed out at the Royal Family and accused them of freezing him out of Meghan’s life.
His furious remarks come after The Mail on Sunday revealed Mr Markle had been paid to stage photos with a paparazzi photographer – despite numerous demands by Kensington Palace for journalists to respect his privacy.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, he said: ‘The reason I am being shunned is because I made a profit on the staged pictures. Anyone who makes a profit off the Royal Family becomes shunned. But I could have made well over $100,000 [£75,000] by just doing a talk show.
‘So if I moved to London and started selling cups with my daughter’s face on, would they shun me? The Royal
Family is living by rules that are asinine.’
Mr Markle also launched an extraordinary personal attack on the Queen, even suggesting she had been ‘ridiculous’.
He said: ‘Half of Great Britain seems to make a fortune selling pictures of my daughter
and her husband. Are they shunned? I have already apologised to the Royal Family.
‘I honestly think that if the Queen took the time to think that she would not see me because I did some stupid photographs, that is ridiculous.
‘I have had a fairly successful life. I’m fairly outspoken about certain things but I’m no different to any other father.’
In stark remarks about the problems that have caused a
rift between Mr Markle and the Royal Family, he said: ‘Get over it. Just get over it.
‘I am her father. And the bottom line with that is – I deserve some respect.’
In a bizarre comment, Mr Markle, who lives in Rosarito, Mexico, said he was ‘bemused’ by his daughter’s ‘ridiculous’ dress code.
He said: ‘Meghan looks like something out of an old movie. Why in 2018 are we dressing like the 1930s? Why do they have to cover their knees?’
The retired TV lighting expert also spoke movingly of his daughter’s early years. ‘When I first held her as a baby I fell madly in love with her.
‘I carried her for three years. I don’t think her feet ever touched the ground! I love her very much.’
He recalled the first time Meghan and Harry began seeing each other in 2016. ‘She said, “Daddy, I’ve met this new guy, I really like him.”
‘The next day it was, “Daddy, he’s an Englishman.” Then on the third or fourth call, she
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said: “Daddy, he’s a Prince.”’ But in a sign of how his relationship with his daughter has unravelled, Mr Markle revealed he is no longer able to make contact with her.
‘I don’t have an address for her. I can send something to the Palace, there is no guarantee it would get to her.
‘I sent a text to my Palace contact saying I would like to reach my daughter and got no reply.’
Mr Markle also spoke of his fears that his daughter is daunted by her new role.
‘My thing about my daughter right now is that I think she is terrified.
‘I see it in her eyes, I see it in her face and I see it in her smile. I’ve seen her smile for years. I know her smile. I don’t like the one I’m seeing now.
‘This one isn’t even a staged smile – this is a pained smile. That might be just having a couple of bad days.
‘I don’t know. It really worries me I think she’s under too much pressure.
‘There’s a high price to pay to be married to that family.’
‘I just want to tell her how proud of her I am’